November 30, 2014

Half-Marathon line-up for 2015

Ever since the last couple of races I've run (the Monroe Half and then the Turkey Trot 10K), I've been thinking of pretty much nothing but racing. I took almost all of 2014 off of racing (the races I did were just for fun, so I wasn't really pushing myself), and running the last couple of races hard felt SO good. It made me want to set all sorts of goals and do a lot of racing next year.

I was toying with the idea of running a half-marathon each month for 2015, so yesterday, I found all the half's that I want to do, and I'm "officially" setting that goal. Here is my half-marathon-per-month plan (which could always change, of course; I'm only actually registered for two of these right now):

A few of these races are more than a short drive away, so I was thinking that Jerry and I could take the kids and make a short weekend trip out of those ones. Since we went on a big vacation this year to Punta Cana, we don't have plans of a big vacation in 2015; it might be fun to go on a few weekend trips instead. When the kids went with us to Cleveland for my first marathon, they had a blast, and they talked about Melt Bar & Grilled for two years after that ;)

I'm hoping that by May, I'll be under 2:00 for my half marathon time. And then maybe by the end of next year, I'll be able to set a new PR (currently, my PR is 1:52:07). Yesterday, I wrote up a year's training plan to include the races. Instead of alternating between tempo runs, interval runs, and hills, I decided to include the tempo runs in with the long runs (for example, I might run 10 miles for my long run with 4 of those miles at goal race pace); and then on another day, I'll alternate each week between intervals and hills.

I also switched my long runs to Sundays instead of Fridays, because most of the races are on Sundays. Today, I started with an 8-mile long run, with just 1 mile at goal race pace (sub-9:00). It was super nice outside today--55 degrees! I wore long sleeves, but I should have worn a tank, because I was pretty hot after a couple of miles.

I didn't want to do my first mile at my goal pace, because I didn't want my legs to feel very fresh; but I didn't want to wait until the end, either, because it would probably be really hard on tired legs. Instead, I just ran at what felt to be very comfortable for the first few miles. I didn't even glance at my Garmin, and just ran by feel.

About a half-mile in, I saw some hunters walking along the edge of the woods, looking around at the ground. I see hunters around there all the time, so it wasn't anything new. A couple of hundred feet later, I heard a rustling and then a doe ran through the woods along the edge of the field. I must have spooked her as I ran next to the woods, but when I saw her running, my heart dropped. She had a big hole in her side, just behind her rib cage, where I'm assuming she had been shot. My guess is that those hunters knew they shot her, and were looking for her :(

I was so sad for the poor deer, and I hoped that she'd get away. About a mile later, I heard eight gunshots in a row, so I'm guessing they found her. It was upsetting, and I just kept picturing her running from me because she was scared. I know animals in slaughterhouses have it much worse, but it still makes me sad to see people hunting.

Seeing that kind of ruined my run. I tried not to think about it, but I just kept thinking about that poor deer. After I hit mile three, I sped up to a sub-9:00 pace for one mile, and then ran easy for the last four miles. That last few miles, I really tried to enjoy it, because this weather was so nice! It's supposed to get really cold again tomorrow.

My November goal was to stick with riding my bike once a week. In short, I totally failed. It got super cold and snowy/icy, so I didn't do it for the last two weeks.

I've been giving some thought to my December goal, and I've decided to post my daily food logs on my blog--every single day--for December. Whether I'm on track with counting my points or not, or if I binge, or if I overindulge, I want to track it and post it for accountability. I already know that my diet is far from perfect, but I'm hoping that knowing it's going to be posted will help me to make better choices.

I still think it's so hard to believe that tomorrow marks the first day of the last month of 2014!
Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday, so if you have a photo to share, please email it to me ASAP!

Wow, that is so interesting that you've done four FULLS but never a half! My favorite race in Michigan was the one I did in Cadillac (they have a 10K, half, and full). The Detroit Free Press International Half is a great one, too!

I know it's hard to see a wounded animal, but not all hunters do so for sport. I grew up poor; if my dad didn't hunt, we didn't eat (and he wasn't a very good shot...). I would rather see a dead deer than a hungry child. Even those who do hunt for sport often donate the meat to needy families. Just food for thought. :)

That's very true! My dad and brothers hunt, and even I used to hunt squirrels and rabbits when I was a kid. There are a TON of hunters where I live, and most do it for food rather than sport. It was just sad to see.

Yep, I came here to say the same thing. When my parents first got married they lived off whatever my mom could hunt/garden and not much else. She's very proud of being a good shot, though, and I agree that it's awful that the deer was running around hurt. Also, keep in mind that deer are crazy overpopulated in a lot of the US, and I'd rather keep the population down through hunting than by dodging them with my car all the time.

I did Rock n Roll Phoenix this year and met 2 ladies at the start and had such a great time!! The second half of the course is GORGEOUS! Oh and if you wanted to head to Eastern Ohio in September I have a free entry to the Amish County Half that I would be happy to pass along to you :)

I have arm warmers that match that shirt, I had the skirt but I gave it away because there was not enough support in the belly area for me.

It really depends on my frame of mind in the moment. I consider it a binge when I lose all control while eating. It could be just a few hundred calories, or it could be several thousand calories. It's not so much the amount of food, but more of the feeling of loss of control. I wrote a post about a binge vs. overeating: http://www.runsforcookies.com/2011/08/faq-3-how-did-you-stop-binge-eating.htmlHopefully that helps! :)

I was hoping to do the Shamrock 15k since it was a distance I've never done and you were going to do it too, but I had a conflict and was sad I couldn't make it. But I am doing Rock 'n Roll Phoenix and I am happy to hear you will be there. I am a slow run/walker so I'll keep an eye out for you. It would be wonderful to say hi to someone who inspires so many of us to be healthier.

It's going to be a tough goal, but I've been so excited to start racing again, it seems like a good time to do it :) I wrote up a training plan, which basically consists of 5 days of running per week--one long run of 10-12 miles, one speed workout, and then three easy runs of 3-5 miles each.

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